As part of the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Science Board (SC), IRDR SC member Omar Cardona participated in the SC board meeting from 19-20 January and attended the launch of the OpenQuake platform on January 21st in Pavia, Italy. The event, hosted by GEM Foundation featured demonstrations of OpenQuake applications and tools, and presentations on risk assessment and reduction.

Margareta Wahlstrom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction opened the event and addressed the progress achieved within the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 priorities, and the way forward envisaged for the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction. She said that understanding risk is the basis of any disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy and action. It is a major priority for the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), the global blueprint for DRR currently being updated for adoption at the Third World Conference on DRR in Sendai, Japan, which will be held in March www.wcdrr.org

The OpenQuake platform showcased presentations on risk assessment and its applications to risk reduction and prevention using concrete examples and best practices from partners, scientists, academics, and stakeholders from all over the world.

OpenQuake is an open-source web-based risk assessment platform for modeling, viewing, exploring and managing earthquake risk worldwide. It will serve as a hub for professionals and stakeholders from around the world to apply GEM products and obtain results on risk assessment and understanding that will inform risk management, risk prevention, scientific research, and much more. The interactive features of the platform will allow for the continuous contributions of the GEM community and will act as a dynamic environment to share knowledge and resources.

More details can be found here: http://www.globalquakemodel.org/openquake/about/platform/openquake-release/. Details about GEM Foundation can be found here: http://www.globalquakemodel.org/